Acropora, Oken, 1815

Sola, Erwan, Silva, Isabel Marques da & Glassom, David, 2015, An annotated and illustrated checklist of species of the coral genus Acropora (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) from Vamizi Island, Mozambique, African Invertebrates 56 (3), pp. 807-807 : 833

Acropora muricata (Linnaeus, 1758)

Fig. 23

Colony growth form: Arborescent, with indeterminate branching pattern; colonies can form extensive single species stands being bushy or open according to depth; main branches are long, straight, tapering and can be quite thick at the base.

Axial corallites: Outer diameter 2.0– 2.2 mm; inner diameter 0.7–0.9 mm; tubular with thick wall; primary septa are well developed, possibly dentate and second cycle is present or incomplete.

Radial corallites: Crowded on branches but not touching; tubular or appressed with round sometimes oval opening radials may be evenly sized and arranged in rows or variable in size and pointing different direction; primary septa are dentate and a second septal cycle may develop on larger radial corallites.

Coenosteum: Costate with finely dentate margin on corallites and reticulate with scattered spinules in between, or dense arrangement of spinules with elaborate tips throughout.

Figures

Fig. 23.Acropora muricata. Specimen number:VAM33. (A) live colony; (B) branch fragment; (C) portion of branch showing radial corallites; (D) axial corallite.